Connecticut TFA Child-Only Grant for Grandparents Raising Grandchildren

What the TFA Child-Only Grant Actually Is

Connecticut's Temporary Family Assistance program has a provision most grandparents never hear about until months after they've started paying out of pocket. When a non-parent relative — grandparent, aunt, uncle, older sibling — applies for TFA strictly on behalf of the child, DSS treats it as a "child-only" assistance unit. The critical difference: your income, your assets, your Social Security, your pension — none of it counts.

Only countable income and assets belonging to the child are evaluated. Social Security survivor benefits and child support can count; child SSI is generally excluded from TFA grant calculations. Most children in kinship care have little or no countable income, which means they may qualify.

How Much the Grant Pays

The monthly TFA amount depends on how many children are in the assistance unit. Connecticut calculates it at 73% of the Standard of Need, which is itself 55% of the Federal Poverty Level:

• One child: approximately $525 per month
• Two children: approximately $710 per month
• Three children: approximately $896 per month

These amounts are reduced dollar-for-dollar by any countable income the child receives directly. If a grandchild gets $200 a month in countable Social Security survivor benefits, a one-child grant drops to roughly $325.

No Time Limit, No Work Requirement

Standard TFA carries a 36-month lifetime limit and requires participation in the Jobs First employment program. Neither applies to child-only grants. The assistance continues as long as the child is eligible — there is no clock running.

Caregivers aged 60 and older are independently exempt from work requirements as well, but with a child-only application the point is moot regardless of your age.

You Don't Need Legal Custody

This is the part that surprises most families. You do not need a probate court guardianship order or a DCF placement to qualify for TFA child-only cash. Informal relative caregivers — grandparents who took in a grandchild without any court involvement — are eligible as long as they can verify the family relationship and prove the child lives with them.

What you will need:

• The child's birth certificate
• The child's Social Security card (or proof you've applied)
• Documents linking you to the child (a chain of birth certificates showing the relationship)
• Proof of Connecticut residency (lease, utility bill, mortgage statement)
• Any records of the child's income or assets

How to Apply

Three routes, all leading to the same place:

1. Online through the ConneCT portal at connect.ct.gov
2. In person at any DSS regional resource center
3. By mail using paper form W-1E

When you apply — and this is worth memorizing — tell the intake worker explicitly that you are applying as a "non-needy relative caretaker for a child-only grant." Without that phrase, workers sometimes run your household income through the standard eligibility screen and issue an incorrect denial. If that happens to you, the application itself is still valid; you need to clarify the child-only status.

One Thing to Know About Child Support

Applying for TFA automatically assigns the child's support rights to the state. Connecticut's Support Enforcement Services will pursue the child's biological parents for reimbursement. If cooperating with child support enforcement would put you or the child at risk — domestic violence, abuse, safety concerns — you can claim Good Cause to opt out without losing the grant.

What Comes Next

TFA child-only grants renew annually. You'll need to report any changes in the child's income that exceed $50 a month, any change of address, or if the child leaves your home. Renewals go through the ConneCT portal or by mail.

If your grandchild also needs health coverage, food assistance, or childcare help, those programs have their own applications — and the child-only income rules are different for each. Our Connecticut financial help guide walks through every program, the documents each one requires, and how they interact with each other so you don't leave money on the table.

See more Connecticut guides →